TSUNAMI SWINDLE OF RANGASWAMY GOVERNMENT

Dravida Peravai had submitted a detailed memorandum to the Chairman on the Sub Committee of Tsunami Relief under Parliamentary Standing Committee of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, Mr.V.Narayanaswamy during the official visit of the committee to all tsunami affected states and union territories. This memorandum contains two other earlier memorandums which form part and parcel of this and becomes ultimately a charge sheet against the Congress led coalition Government headed by Mr.N.Rangaswamy. The alliance partner which is supporting the ruling party, namely DMK, ironically had been given the Opposition leader’s post occupied by A.M.H.Nazim, who is the chief defense counsel of the government, thereby making mockery of the opposition leader’s role in a democracy. Having deprived checks and balances that a democracy offers through opposition, the Chief Minister had manipulated the media and had imposed undeclared emergency even worse than military rule enforced by imported criminals for whom Puducherry and Karaikal had not only given asylum in the aftermath of Tamilnadu trying to weed out the mafia there, but also had become a breeding ground to recruit and train cross border criminals, who go on rampage across the border and return safe to their training camps.

The memorandum addressed to Thiru.V.Narayanaswamy dated 8 th January 2008 is given in verbatim below:

“ During your visit here in your official duty exercising the representative character of the highest and supreme law enacting body of India, which is also the custodian of Indian people, namely the Indian Parliament, we the political party which plays the responsible role of Opposition here, are presenting our complaint against the Chief Minister of Puducherry N.Rangaswamy who had also subverted the powers of his office to create a Princely state of Thathanchavady. It is an underground movement launched by the Chief Minister with the connivance of former Chief Secretary Khairwal, who might become the Diwan of the Princely state once it declares the unilateral declaration of independence seceding from the Union Territory of Puducherry.”

1.In media you and the Leader of the PMK group in Parliament Professor M.Ramdass have been cautioning against the path of bankruptcy in which Puducherry government had been slipping down, but your voices have been unheard, where it must have evoked due response. The Comptroller ad Audit General of India, deputes his regional commanders to audit the accounts of this union territory and they have been doing their work not to the satisfaction of the general public. Though we wont say they failed miserably we must point out that there is an urgent need to depute a high level audit committee drawn from central pool to audit the already audited accounts of the Union Territory of Puducherry since 2001 till date coinciding with the tenure of current Chief Minister N.Rangaswamy.

Hence we appeal through this sub committee and through Parliament to direct the Comptroller and Audit General of India to institute a high level audit committee for Puducherry. In mundane words it is similar for asking CBI enquiry having lost faith in local police. Let us examine even whatever little that has been detected by the Audit.

The extract from the Audit Report of Puducherry for the year 2005-06Tsunami Relief, Rehabilitation and ReconstructionThe Tsunami of December 2004 damaged 33 villages in the Union Territory of Puducherry. The Government provided assistance in cash and kind to the affected families. There was no comprehensive action plan to utilize funds received from Government of India. There were deficiencies in identification of beneficiaries for immediate relief and rehabilitation of Tsunami affected people. Assistance for repair/replacement of fishing crafts was delayed by 4 to 17 months after the calamity. Considerable delay was also noticed in reconstruction activities. Consequently, out of 7,567 families who were to be resettled by way of shifting to houses constructed for them, only 100 were resettled as of November 2006. Monitoring of the implementation was poor.(Paragraph 3.1)

2. Dravida Peravai had been sending representations time again and we are enclosing two petitions, which includes materials that will fall under the purview of the sub committee headed by you.

First is our memorandum dated30.10.2006 addressed to the Rastrapathi and Prime Minister of India and to all Cabinet Ministers of the Union Cabinet, faxed and mailed to all of them in one go to open the eyes of the Union Government over the various commissions and omissions of the Chief Minister N.Rangaswamy.

Dravida Peravai, registered political party active in the Union Territory of Puducherry for more than a decade and which had fought many battles for just causes, with anguish brings to your notice the autocratic behavior of Puducherry Chief Minister Hon’ble N.Rangasamy, as if he is ruling a princely state in colonial era. Behind the guise of appearance of innocence and the mask of simplicity remains the hidden the real man with no vision for the state and no plans to make a better future for our people.

You may be aware that the people of Karaikal, an enclave of Puducherry, which sends 6 legislators to the U.T.Assembly, routed all the 4 Congress candidates in the last assembly polls, with 2 DMK legislators escaping defeat by few votes. The people of Karaikal had been nursing a legitimate long-standing grievance that the Chief Minister’s constituency garners all jobs and all developments take place only in his constituency. Karaikal Struggle Group was formed by Dravida Peravai, which spearheads the separate Union Territory demand for Karaikal. The voicing of this demand and peoples support for the demand is due to the one and only reason that all development goes to the Chief Minister’s constituency only.

Now in the main enclave of Puducherry, which sends 20 legislators, there is a growing perception that 19 constituencies are neglected with only one getting undue share in the overall development. Let me explain how the nepotism takes shape. There are established canons of law and laid down in procedure about the implementation of schemes with financial implications. You may be aware that postings of Indian Administrative Officers at the control of Puducherry Government have 4 exceptions. Chief Secretary, Development Commissioner, Secretary Finance and Law Secretary are always under the posting control of Home Ministry. Other Secretaries are placed under the disposal of the UT Government. Whereas in Puducherry for quite sometime especially from the period of Hon’ble N.Rangasamy, these norms have been given a go by. For this the Former Chief Secretary was totally responsible colluding with the Chief Minister to float all established norms of good governance. The nexus between then Chief Minister and Chief Secretary who finds place in CVC archives, made the subordinate bureaucrats to behave as yes men and to go scot-free and violating all procedures in files and proposals.

Special Economic Zone: The SEZ scheme has been earmarked with PIPDIC. The Hon’ble CM formed a Public Limited Company called Pondicherry SEZ Company Limited in which PIPDIC has got 26 % share. for that 26 % Puducherry Government had acquired 360 acres of agricultural land, remaining 74 % shares has been allotted to Messrs Kothari and Messrs Metal whereas both companies are not investing any physical investment. Now the Government is trying to transfer the acquired land from PIPDIC to the Puducheery Sez Co Ltd without following any procedures. The present Chief Secretary had not approved the proposal for the simple reason the non-investment of the shareholders will ultimately end in real estate business.

Lands acquired for a specific purpose by are diverted to real estate business, which is our charge, for which we want you to initiate a probe or call for papers.

Rice Scandal: Puducherry Government is getting annually 3 lakhs tons of rice at the cost of Rs 2.50 from the FCI under PDS system. This rice was used to distribute among the marginal income holders for a subsidized rate and during natural calamity period with free of cost from the fund of local bodies. This has been covering roughly 1.8 lakh cardholders. Whereas the CM very recently declared to supply rice to all the cardholders of Pudiucherry be it rich or poor. This scheme covers 3.5 lakh cardholders of this U.T with 10 kilos each. For this Govt procured about 3 lakh tons rice from open market at Rs 8 per kg. And also they have not utilized the FCI allocations for reasons best known to them. The financial implication has been credited from Social Welfare Department fund for which they have not obtained prior sanction from GOI. The Govt has not followed any system for the purchase of this huge quantity of rice. The suppliers are close associates of CM and involve huge kick back.

The undistributed rice had been recycled once again as if it had been procuredfresh.

Jobs to One Constituency: The CM recruited not less than 10,000 people from his constituency without following any norms. And these recruitments have taken place by adopting token system. Majority of them are either non-puducherian or migrated relatives of the CM. There was a writ petition in the HC of Madras in this regard and the order of the HC suspending these appointments has been thrown into the dustbin.

Tsunami Swindle: Govt of India as well as voluntary agencies have allocated huge crores of rupees under the Tsunami Rehabilitation. This fund was under the direct supervision of the CM and he spent it without any norms with even as cash transactions and the same has not yet been audited.

No houses were built to the fishermen who faced the fury of Nature. Dravida Peravai urges you to direct a high level probe on the Tsunami swindle here and to unravel the truth.

Port Scandal: Having wasted crores and crores for the so-called Port development, the Government of Puducherry had given it on a platter to a Private Hotel.

These methods planned with pre-thought aims at spending public money to develop infrastructure then pass it to private for paltry pittance depriving the State Exchequer revenue on its expenditure in infrastructure thereby diverting and piling mountains of money in their hidden troves of the Thattanchavadi princely state.

This may sound an unusual request. In a democracy how can a duly elected Chief Minister be removed by a titular head of the State, eyebrows may raise. Unprecedented autocratic governance warrants unforeseen strong remedial reactions. Further you, the President of India, directly administer a Union Territory and you have the right to intervene.

Dravida Peravai, a party of Periyarites who never aspire power urges you to direct all the intelligence agencies in the command of the Union Government to shadow one night the Chief Minister on his weekly travels to pleasure destinations and to report truth to the Union Cabinet to form the basis of suitable action apart from the charges listed above.

The second enclosure will be a petition dated 4 th Feb 2007 sent to the President of India, Prime Minister of India and Comptroller and Audit General of India, marking copies to the Lt.Governor and Chief Secretary.Subject: Urgent pre-emptive measures sought to halt the Tsunami Swindle of Thiru.N.Rangasamy Government and violation of Central guidelines regardingNowhere in India will democracy be replaced by lootocracy, and nowhere in India all parties in the assembly will be one party to loot public exchequer. Puducherry being tiny territory could have been administered in much efficient way and with a vision for development. But here the Chief Minister N.Rangasamy has acquired mafia culture and is dividing the spoils of the system to all parties represented in the assembly. Hence people’s woes could not be echoed due to legislator’s dancing to the tunes of the paymaster. This may sound as wild allegation and even breach of privilege could arise over my remarks. But I don’t want the breach of good governance to go unchecked. I don’t want the breach of the constitutional mechanism to accountability be mocked at with immunity. I don’t want, in the absence of right to recall, elected representatives stabbing the people’s expectations behind their back, in order to amass ill-gotten wealth. The Hon’ble Home Minister of India Mr.Shivraj Patil visited Puducherry and what instructions he gave is known to all in this Administration, more particularly the Chief Minister of Puducherry. If I had to remind for the sake of refreshing the memory of Hon’ble Home Minister of India, I must humbly state that he strictly told that only for projects funds should be spent and in no case ex- gratia payment should be made. Tsunami did not strike yesterday or few days before Home Minister visited Puducherry in 2007. People are not marooned and no urgency exists to hand over cash to the tsunami victims, that too in 2007 February, after a long gap of time for a tsunami that hit on 26 th December of 2004. Few days ago a meeting to Review Tsunami Relief was conducted in the Secretariat of the Pondicherry, wherein almost all Members of the Legislature, in stage-managed operation tutored by the Chief Minister had demanded cash payments to be made through them to whomsoever they identify as tsunami victim. This is gross violation. This is daylight robbery. This is open swindle of public money. This is to openly defy the Union Home Minister’s directions that only for specific purpose and that too only for projects and schemes moneys should be spent. This is using public money to buy the silence of all the legislative members, and to deny the people of respective constituencies their legitimate right to be heard through their representatives. This is seducing all parties and making them corrupt. This is bypassing the administration and to establish parallel administration. This is prelude to convert Puducherry into a princely state, where the King can dispose moneys as he wishes, without having any due respect to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. This is to run Puducherry as feudal state and not as a union territory accountable to Center. Dravida Peravai, a party that plays the opposition role in all crises in the decade of its existence, once again sounds the alarm bell. Dravida Peravai prays for the Comptroller and Auditor General to intervene immediately to stall the proposed loot. Dravida Peravai appeals to the Union Government to stop the plunder with immediate effect.In the book published by Union Government on the achievements of Union Territory under UPA government two important observations need to be mentioned. Rajiv Gandhi Package of assistance for Tsunami Affected Persons: Assistance of Rs 155 crore was approved under the package for providing immediate relief such as ex gratia payment, temporary housing, and assistance for fishermen etc. Will the Government of India bring out a White paper on how this money was spent in Puducherry? When Tsunami struck Karaikal region and Nagapattinam of Tamilnadu, the most of the moneys should have gone there. But it never went. Under the Right to Information Act, an activist of Consumer Forum in Karaikal had been asking for the quantum of money received by government for tsunami and how it was spent. All authorities as per the hierarchy that is fixed to answer questions under Right to Information act had given only expenses figures; never had they given the figures of the amount received. Is it a state secret? Mr.Nallusamy, the senior citizen of the Consumer Forum is tirelessly knocking the doors after one after one office, till about Karaikal region everything remains shrouded in secrecy.The same book brought out by Press Information Bureau claims: Permanent Shelters for Tsunami Affected persons: A World Bank assisted Project for providing permanent shelters and livelihood programmes for tsunami affected people of Puducherry is under implementation, with an outlay of Rs158 crore. It is envisaged that 8,125 permanent houses will be built in Puducherry with substantial contributions from NGO’s in the effort. While Union Government publication makes tall claims being misled by N.Rangasamy government, The Center for Fisher folk’s Empowerment in a representation to Union Home Minister dated 20.01.2007 states: “In Puducherry region there are 15 fishing villages. Out of this, the N.Rangasamy Government has taken steps to build houses only in 5 villages even after a lapse of 2 years that too with the funds provided by NGO’s and Government of Maharashtra. The total number of houses needed for these 15 villages are 7350, but the N.Rangasamy Government proposes to build only 4074 houses, whereas the Press Information Bureau publication claims 8125 houses are to be built. Who is fooling whom? Whether the Center is being fooled by N.Rangasamy Government to extract money from World Bank for 8125 houses but actually planning to construct only 4074 houses, thereby trying to loot the balance. ? It is for you to read in between the lines, the famous phrase of Kuldip Nayyar. Hence the most affected Karaikal region wants to separate itself from this misrule. That is why Union Territory status is being sought by Karaikal enclave of Puducherry separated by 160 kilometers from the Capital Puducherry.

Apart from these memorandums wherein we have dealt with the Tsunami swindle by the Maharaja of Thattanchavady in waiting but currently holding Chief Minister’s chair of this Union Territory, the Karaikal District unit of Dravida Peravai had published a pamphlet listing out how transparently the Prime Minister of India’s web sites are providing information on Tsunami funds thereby proving beyond an iota of doubt that the hands, heart and mind of the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is clean. At the same time we have exposed how the Puducherry Governments web sites are suppressing facts and hiding details.

The beneficiaries name will be provided, the address will be given, even their bank account number would be given including bank, but how much was given as relief was with held in government sites. Many consumer activists like Mr.Nalluswamy of the Kottucherry Consumer Protection Group had sought answers under Right to Information Act, but the simple question how much funds came from center and from other non governmental agencies had never been answered. The three activists, Nallusamy from Kottucherry, AdvocateKarthikeyan from Thirumudinagar of Puducherry, Advocate Kulothungan of Kalapet had filed petitions after petitions to all authorities to know facts under Right to Information Act. Dravida Peravai can produce procuring from them. But we urge the Sub Committee to summon officials exercising power under Right to Information Act, and ask them details of petitions received under the Act to know Tsunami accounts, and what replies they had given so far.

4. There had been many agitations in fishermen villages as well as before the Assembly, and the sub committee must seek details summoning the Special Branch of Police to provide details of the agitations over non construction of tsunami houses or anomalies over tsunami relief, including the press clippings, so that the Rajyasabha and its committee can know the extent of the feelings of hurt in the tsunami affected villages.

5. The Karai Union Pradesam, a journal from Karaikal had brought out the list of funds allocated by various Members of Parliament with their pictures, and this sub committee is duty bound to enquire on what happened to the funds earmarked by the Honorable Members of Parliament and why the relief measures did not reach the people.

6. A team of Central P.W.D officials must be ordered to visit the Tsunami affected villages to assess the quality of the houses constructed including its costs, because they were given on contract to some big firms, which in turn allocated it to sub contractors, ultimately even what reached the people after looting all the way in the process reminds me of what Late Rajiv Gandhi had said on government expenditure. In every rupee marked for the people only 15 paise reaches them, Rajiv Gandhi had lamented. Here how much went and where it went cannot be a matter of statements by parties like us and Chief Minister’s rebuttals. Center has agencies like CPWD, which can assess, and no one is more fit than the subcommittee of Rajyasabha to order for a probe by CPWD on Tsunami Houses in Union Territory of Puducherry.

7. There is an urgent need to track down where all moneys meant for Tsunami had been hijacked and a hunt for the safe havens it would have reached must begin. Dravida Peravai urges the sub committee to advice the Union Government to order for a CBI probe into the tsunami swindle. Being Union Territory no necessity to obtain cabinet nod for calling in CBI is needed. The CBI must be asked to probe not only within Puducherry but also in the places of worship frequented by the Chief Minister N.Rangasamy, including the town of the sacred Samadhi of Appapaithyam Swamigal, where it is learnt nearly 5000 acres of land had been bought by over night millionaires and their associates.

8. More than 500 people lost their lives in Karaikal and Karaikal was hit by Tsunami in worst ever form. Yet the immediate relief went to the constituency of AIADMK legislator A.Anbazhagan, and thereto instead of coastal affected areas, the safe less affected inland places walked away with the relief. Our Cheap Minister, sorry Chief Minister who had become cheap in public esteem thrives by keeping opposition in good humor, and amidst bravado in day time, the AIADMK leader will always be seen in Chief Minter’s company, acting as his spokesperson targeting against inner party enemies of the Chief Minister. May be AIADMK Supremo must have give exemption to this legislator to openly defend ruling party, whereas AIADMK in Tamilnadu is proving every day to be an opposition here. By manipulation here opposition leader of media hype will be midnight accomplice of Wrong Asaamy in Tamil, Wrong Swamy N.Rangaswamy.In recent websites the list of immediate beneficiaries who got 5000 each is provided running into more than 100 pages after our party criticized the web sites in our pamphlet attached. There it must be pointed out why on large sums disposed there is silence, and why government is seeking more funds even while it cannot explain the 1600 crore’s expenditure.

Chief Minister N.Rangasamy must be stripped from office and summoned before Rajyasabha and Loksabha to be admonished on wasting Tsunami funds that too obtained in a National calamity not heard in near past centuries. Hence the Parliament must take the unusual step to reprimand an individual, and to protect the dignity of his office, he may be stripped before appearing in the dock before Rajya sabha and Loksabha.